Yup, The guy really is a rugby player. He only had a handfull of snaps as a DB at OSU but he had really great combine numbers. Very Typical Patriots late round pick. I expect this guy to be a great special teams player to start and the who know down the road.

Rugby players play without pads. They are tough guys and he looks like an outlaw. He must be good enough to be invited to the combine. The youtube video of him playing rugby showed good hustle, speed and some nice open field tackles. May be a real good pick for the special team.

This guy is going to be a special team phenom! He is going to lay people out, will end up being a fan favorite, people will be wearing his jersey, giving him the nickname of Doctor Death. For this coming Super Bowl he will have his own booth for media day. This guy will be a star, just wait and see.

The guys has a ton of physical tools to be a great SS with great speed. He's raw since him walking on was the first time he's ever played football but just a tremendous athlete. He'll be a ST star that has the tools to be a starter if he develops.

For a 6th pick it was well worth it given his tools. Could be a Neal type of find

You have to admit he has a nose for getting to the ball carrier. In one play he grabs and ball carrier just as he flips the ball to someone else. He tackles that guy, gets up then runs down and tackles the guy that caught the ball.

Patriots go outside the box for Nate Ebner

Posted by Josh Alper on April 29, 2012, 10:31 AM EDT

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It was an unusual draft for Bill Belichick and the Patriots.

They traded up twice in the first round after years of dealing down and they didn’t make a trade with the Eagles. Things got back to normal later in the process, though, as the Pats dealt down to stock up on more picks and then took a flier on a player with an unusual background.

In the sixth round they took Ohio State safety Nate Ebner, a walk-on who played all of three plays from scrimmage in his college football career. Ebner played a lot of special teams, but his real athletic interest was rugby. Ebner starred on teams in high school and harbored notions of a career as a professional rugby player before deciding to try his hand at football. He ran well at the Buckeyes Pro Day and caught Belichick’s eye.

“We think he has a lot of good football in front of him,” Belichick said, via the Providence Journal. “Of course, we had good connections at Ohio State. Obviously, that played a part in it.”

That connection is former Patriot Mike Vrabel, who was an assistant coach at his alma mater last season. His recommendation helped Ebner land in New England as one of the unlikeliest picks in this or any draft.

As mentioned up top, there’s a precedent for this in New England. They’ve drafted special teamers like Matthew Slater in the past and this isn’t their first time taking a chance on an athlete from another sport. Stephen Neal was a wrestler in college, but the Patriots gave him a shot as an undrafted free agent in 2001 anyway. He got cut, went to the Eagles for a spell and then returned to the Patriots in time to pick up three Super Bowl rings while starting 81 games at guard over 10 seasons.